


Marichat May 2020

by NerdyPanda3126



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, F/M, Fluff, Flustered Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, Idiots in Love, Marichat May 2020, Marichat | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Princess!Marinette, Thief!Chat Noir
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:14:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 15,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23946001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdyPanda3126/pseuds/NerdyPanda3126
Summary: A collection of one shots, drabbles, and connected stories based on thetumblr promptsfor Marichat May 2020.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 128
Kudos: 283
Collections: Adorable





	1. Witch AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a Hogwarts AU! And there might've been a Polyjuice potion mishap...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first go at Marichat May! I'm pretty determined to make it through, but we'll see how far this goes.

Adrien peeks out of the abandoned classroom, his robes pulled over his head and his Hufflepuff scarf wrapped over his nose and cheeks. This is the worst possible thing that could've happened. Why did he agree to do this again? 

He scans the hallway for someone, anyone, friendly and his eyes fall on a familiar set of pigtails. She’s sitting across the hall, her head bent over the sketchbook in her lap, smudging her charcoal stick across the page. The tips of his ears heat up at the thought of even asking Marinette, best and brightest in their class, for help, but he’s desperate. 

“Psst.” 

Her head pops up and swivels, looking for the source of the noise. He waves with a sleeve covering his hand to get her attention. Her eyes narrow at him suspiciously, but she closes her sketchbook, tucks it away, and shoulders her bag before she walks over to him. 

"Adrien?" 

“I need your help,” he says, clutching at her wrist and pulling her in with him, closing the door behind them. 

She spins on him, wand out, as soon as they’re alone. He puts his hands up in defense, forgetting momentarily that he has claws. Her wand drops a fraction when she sees. Welp, that’s one way to reveal it to her. He sighs as he pulls the robes off his head and the scarf away from his face, revealing the cat ears mussing up his blond hair, whiskers, and fine black fur covering his face. 

Her wand lowers all the way to her side. He squirms as she just stares at him. He wasn’t expecting her to start giggling. 

“It’s not funny!” He hisses at her. Unfortunately, his tone does nothing to help his case. Her giggles intensify and she puts up a finger for him to wait. 

The tail he had sprouted swishes behind him and he chases it for a minute before he catches it, looking at it fully for the first time. It’s fluffy. He has a fluffy black tail attached to him. Unbelievable. He drops it indignantly. Marinette can't even look at him; she just keeps bursting into new peals of laughter. 

When she catches her breath, she manages to pant, “You're right, you're right, it's not funny.” She suppresses the last of her giggles and wipes her eyes before clearing her throat, regaining her composure. “So you want to tell me why you were messing with Polyjuice potion in the first place?” 

Crap. Of course she knows what he screwed up. “I was... trying to help a friend.” 

“And ‘helping a friend’ translates to ‘Polyjuice potion’ because…?” 

Because his friend Juleka was being bullied and he and her Slytherin brother came up with this brilliant plan to transform Adrien into the biggest guy they knew so he could pretend to be dating her so people would back off. Who knew Ivan volunteers to play with kittens in his spare time?

“Can you help me fix it or not?” he asks instead.

“You think I know how to fix this?” 

“Why not? You’re the best at potions in the whole school.” 

She blushes and tucks a strand of hair back behind her ear. "H-how do you know that?" 

Because he stares at her in every class they share. Because he's caught her sticking her tongue out when she's working on a particularly tough potion. Because her name is like a neon sign whenever he sees it, and it's always at the top of the exam scores. 

"Everyone knows that," he says. But he can feel the heat creeping up his face, and it has nothing to do with the addition of the fur. 

She blinks at him. "Of course. Right. Here, let me see." She puts out a hand. He swallows past the lump in his throat as he sets the back of his clawed hand in hers. She grips his wrist and tests his claws with the pad of her finger, then flips his hand so their palms are together. 

If he had more presence of mind, he would be embarrassed about the dense fur covering the backs of his hands. But Marinette is running her fingers through it experimentally, and she's holding his hand, and she's sticking her tongue out like he's a tough problem to solve. And his heart is trying to pound through his ribcage. 

She looks up at him and brushes his hair out of his eyes to see them better. He can only assume they’re much more feline than normal. Her fingertips are cool against his forehead. He's never noticed before, but there’s a smattering of freckles across her cheeks. She has a smudge of charcoal on the right side of her nose. Her eyes are steely blue, intensely focused, softened with concern. Beautiful. 

His tail flicks behind him, bringing him back to reality with a crash. He's currently a half-cat disaster. Not his most attractive look. 

She reaches up to feel one of his cat ears, and it surprises them both when he reflexively butts his head into her hand and starts to purr with the force of an engine. He claps a hand over his mouth and pulls away from her hastily until his back hits the door with a thud. She seems stunned, her hand paused in the air. 

He’s only had a crush on this girl for going on four years now. He’s never even been able to talk to her before outside of class. This is their first real conversation. And he just asked for pets. Mortifying. He’ll be surprised if she ever wants to talk to him again. At least she hasn’t run away yet.

After a moment, she clears her throat and drops her hand. "I'm officially way out of my depth here." 

"Marinette, please-" 

"But I can get you to the hospital wing and make sure no one sees." She gestures to his scarf and he takes it off hurriedly to give it to her. She circles him to wrap it loosely around his head in a way that conceals the ears and his face handily. She adjusts it in front so just his eyes are uncovered. She's wearing some sort of perfume on her wrists, and he tries not to think about how long the scent might linger on his scarf. Then she reaches in her bag and pulls out a pair of Slytherin gloves and offers them to him. 

"But… the claws…" he says apologetically. She flops the gloves at him again insistently. He takes them from her and puts them on, doing his best to avoid catching his claws, and she takes a step back to look at her handiwork. 

"The tail… hmm... you'll just have to try to keep it still under your robes." 

As if on cue, his tail pokes out and practically waves at her. He blushes, shoving the incorrigible appendage back behind himself. 

"Easier said than done, I take it? Oh!" She digs in her bag again and produces a loose bit of yarn and a pair of pink scissors. He glances from the yarn, back up to her, and down to his feet. They can tie the tail down. 

Before he can answer, she’s snipped a length of yarn off, tucked the extra back in her bag, and stooped down as if she’s about to tie his shoes. A jolt goes through him when she catches his tail and he has a curious instinct to hiss and yank it out of her hands. An instinct that he steadfastly ignores. Her fingers work quickly, though, and when she straightens up again, his tail is secured to his calf. It’s uncomfortable. But then again, this whole ordeal has been uncomfortable. Next time Luka suggests Adrien should pretend to date Juleka, he’ll just do it as himself, and not worry about Marinette possibly finding out he has a ‘girlfriend’. Not like he has a chance with Marinette now, anyways. 

“Now, if anyone asks, you’re my cousin, visiting from… oh, I don’t know, someplace hot... And you find it unbearably cold here.” 

He looks at his hands, encased in her gloves, and flexes his fingers. It’s a plausible excuse. As long as no one looks too closely. 

“You’re amazing, Marinette.” Did he really just say that out loud? Wait, is she actually blushing? The end of his tail flicks impatiently against its constraint. They should go. He clears his throat.

“Do you mind leading the way? I can’t really see over the, you know, the scarf.” Tentatively, he offers her a hand. 

She hesitates, blushing deeper than he thought possible, before she shakes her head and squares her shoulders, grabbing his hand forcefully. She opens the door to poke her head out, checking that the way is clear before she tugs him out with her and they’re off down the hallway. 

With every step, he can feel the tie around his tail loosening. He can only pray it holds. Marinette has a quick, determined stride, and he stumbles a few times trying to keep up while being led by the hand. While he’s not paying attention, she stops abruptly and he barrels into her back. He hears her curse under her breath, then she spins him around to head in a different direction. He can’t imagine what she might’ve seen that made her change trajectory, until he hears someone calling after them. 

“Marinette, wait up!” 

It’s a familiar voice to him, although he can’t quite place it. Marinette certainly knows who it is, though. She clutches his hand tighter and pushes forward, trying to lose whoever’s back there. He can feel his tail slipping out of the yarn. He’s grateful for Marinette’s urgency, but they’ll need to stop soon to resecure it. 

“Marinette, geez girl, who are you running from?” Finally, through what little he can see over the scarf, he recognizes Alya, Marinette’s best friend, as she catches Marinette’s shoulder in front of him. Marinette pauses, caught between him and Alya, and she turns slowly, pulling him back behind her as she does. As subtly as he can, he ducks behind her. 

“Oh, hi, Alya, I didn’t know you were back there!” 

“Who’s this?” 

“Who is…? Oh! This is my….cousin… from, um…”

“Africa,” Adrien supplies behind her, the first hot place he could think of.

“Right, Africa! I was just showing him around, you know, the sights and everything.” 

He can practically feel Alya raising her eyebrows in the silence. But the more pressing issue is that his tail has worked itself completely free of the yarn. He tugs at Marinette’s sleeve, but she shrugs him off. 

“That’s the lamest excuse I think I’ve ever heard. What’s going on?”

Marinette shifts from one foot to the other, and she itches the back of her calf with the toe of her shoe. She’s stalling to think. He wishes he could help her come up with something. Instead he finds that he’s focused on how one of her pigtails is tied slightly lower than the other. Do not bat at the ribbons. Do not bat at the ribbons. 

“Why are you hiding him? Is he your secret boyfriend or something?” Alya’s tone has turned teasing. The scarf is not helping the heat roasting Adrien’s face. He wishes. 

“What? No!” 

“Uh huh. Is it Adrien hiding back there? You’ve only been head over heels for him forever, it’s about time you asked him out.” 

“Alya,” Marinette hisses. 

His cat ears perk up under the scarf. Marinette? Head over heels for him? A purr starts deep in his chest and he coughs to cover it. Marinette turns her head a fraction to glance back at him. He shrugs, and he can see the corner of her mouth turn up in a smile. 

“Uh, Marinette? Whatcha got there?” Marinette looks down at her feet, where Alya must’ve pointed. Adrien looks too. His tail had curled itself around Marinette’s calf while they both weren’t paying attention. Oops. There’s an awkward pause between the three of them, and then Marinette’s head snaps back up.

“Gotta go, I’ll explain later, bye!” The words rush out of Marienette’s mouth and she’s grabbed his hand and spun him around before he can blink. For some stupid reason, he looks back and waves at Alya. She waves back, dumbfounded, before Adrien and Marinette turn a corner. Marinette pulls him into an alcove, just in time to hear Alya running past. He should’ve known she would follow them. Apparently Marinette did.

They both wait anxiously for her to pass, and when Adrien turns his head back, he realizes he and Marinette are practically toe to toe. She’s still clutching his hand. She drops it when she notices, and she looks away while her face turns bright red. Marinette, head over heels for him.

“You should’ve told me it came loose,” she mutters. 

“I did try.” 

“Well, there goes the ‘no one seeing’ thing. Half the school will know within twenty minutes if I know Alya.” 

He looks down before tapping the toes of his shoes against hers. “Does that mean half the school will also think I’m your secret boyfriend?” He dares to glance up at her through his bangs, grateful for the scarf for hiding more than his whiskers. 

“My secret boyfriend with a cat tail and a penchant for winter wear.” She rolls her eyes at him, but she’s smiling. Teasing. 

He flexes his fingers at his side. He might never get this chance again. He pulls the scarf away from his face to look at her properly. Here goes nothing. 

“Maybe it wouldn’t have to be a secret?” 

A mischievous glint flashes through her eyes. She pushes him back by the nose, a smug smile on her face. 

“Lose the tail first, then we’ll talk.” 


	2. Bell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir offers to take Marinette home

Chat Noir was out for a run. Just some fresh air before he had to get home and finish his homework. He paused on a rooftop near Notre Dame to watch the sunset. This was his favorite time of day, right before the sun sank over the horizon. The sky was smeared with pinks and purples and blues, the lights were just starting to come on all over the city, and there was an ease in the air, like a sigh of relief right before the night falls.

He couldn’t help but glance over to Marinette’s balcony. It was part of his routine now. He never went there anymore, but he liked to picture her leaning over her balcony railing and smiling at something she was thinking about. He liked to picture her happy and in love, her heartbreak eased and her crush requited. Like his would never be. He looked back to Notre Dame just as the light faded. He should be getting back. 

But as he turned to start his loop home, he caught sight of Marinette’s pigtails under the lamplight in the park next to the school. Surely he could spare a few more minutes. He redirected himself midswing. 

Marinette didn’t look up when he perched on the streetlight above her. She was absorbed in whatever she was working on, her pencil moving across the page hurriedly. She was writing something. Their homework, maybe? But she didn’t have a textbook near her. It looked more like a diary. As he watched, she straightened up to stretch, sighing deeply. She looked around and seemed to notice that the light had changed. She started to pack up her pencils in the bag she always had on her hip. Maybe he could offer to help her home? He perked up at the thought. It would be chivalrous of him to at least offer, right? After all, it was getting dark. 

With his objective in mind, he slid down the streetlight smoothly, landing next to her and twirling his tail for effect. She still hadn’t noticed him. Quick, come up with a smooth line.

" _Feline_ inspired by the night air, princess?"

She jumped, spinning around on the bench to look at him, and holding a hand to her heart. When she saw it was him, she let her breath out in a huff. 

“Someone needs to put a bell on you,” she muttered, arranging the half-moon shaped journal in her bag and clasping it shut. 

He smirked, even though she wasn’t looking. “Already been done, I’m afraid.” He flicked the bell at his throat and it jingled softly. She turned to look at him again, narrowing her eyes at the bell in question. 

“Well it didn’t work.” She stood and clutched at the strap of her bag. “You _scared_ me. What are you doing here, anyways?” 

"Meowch, princess.” He put on his most wounded expression and covered his heart with his hand. “And here I was going to offer you an escort home, superhero style.” He unlatched his baton from his back to spin it over his knuckles. She turned her head to gauge the distance home, and looked back at him. 

“I do need to be getting home.” 

He offered his hand to her and was rewarded by a soft smile as she took it. He placed it on his shoulder and she brought her other hand up around the back of his neck.

"Hang on tight, okay?" 

She nodded before she hid her face into his shoulder and he extended his baton to get them up to the rooftops, using one arm to hold her to him around her lower back. She fit so snugly against him. It made him reluctant to swing her up to carry her so he could start running. 

"So why were you out in the park so late?" he asked, more to fill the silence than anything. It was probably just because he was running that his heart was pounding, that's all it was. 

"I just needed a breath of fresh air." Her grip tightened around his neck, and she nuzzled closer, barely jingling his bell as his collar shifted. It definitely wasn't conscious when he flexed his biceps around her. It was just to soften the blow of that land, he told himself. 

"Same here." 

"Fresh air can't be _that_ hard to come by as a superhero." 

"You'd be surprised," he grumbled. She pulled away to look at him, but he set his jaw and kept his eyes forward. He had to set her down again to readjust so he could helicopter down, extending his baton at just the right time to vault them both up to her balcony. 

He perched on her railing as she slid away from him, touching her toes down first. She lingered for just a moment before unclasping her hands from around his neck. It was enough for him to glimpse the stars reflected in her eyes. 

The fairy lights strung behind her gave her an ethereal glow. When she smiled up at him, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, it made him lose his balance momentarily and he leaned on his baton to support himself.

“Thanks for getting me home, Chat.” She hooked her thumbs in the pockets at her hips, rocking forward onto her toes before falling back again. He got her home, and now he should go. 

But then a look crossed her face. It took him a minute to place it until he realized it was the same look he pictured her having whenever he thought about her. A soft blush on her cheeks, her face tilted up to the sky, a happy glow in her eyes. 

His heel slipped forward, and he just barely managed to catch himself with his hands behind his back on the railing, his bell jangling noisily and his baton clattering to the ground. Marinette panicked and reached forward at the same time to help him, grabbing onto the bell in her haste. But with his momentum and her pulling him forward, he stumbled into her, their faces inches apart. He pulled his hands in to rest on her hips to steady them both.

They both paused, trying to process what just happened. When their eyes met again, they both chuckled nervously. It sparked a memory for him of the other time he held her as they danced at Chloe’s party. The blush that bloomed across her cheeks was the same then as it was now. 

An idea struck him and he took Marinette’s hand from around his bell to spin her once before kneeling down to brush his lips against her knuckles. This time he had nothing to blame for his pounding heart, other than his everyday Ladybug was standing in front of him, and she wasn’t pulling her hand out of his grasp.

He scooped up his baton and stood a step or two back, clearing his throat. She hadn’t moved, still staring at the spot where he had been kneeling. 

“I’d better be getting home, myself,” he finally managed to say. “I hope we bump into each other again.” He gave her a two finger salute and vaulted himself over her railing. But he would have to wait on a ledge below her to stop his knees from shaking before he could go anywhere. 

From somewhere above him, he heard Marinette stammer a belated goodbye, and that seemed familiar to him, too. 


	3. Thief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a Thief!Chat Noir Princess!Marinette AU... with a twist.

“Fancy seeing you here, princess.” 

She whirled to face the window and there he was, Chat Noir, the most wanted thief in the country, perched on her windowsill. She had half a mind to give him a solid push and send him tumbling to the ground below. Instead she hurried forward, grabbing a fistful of his black cloak to force him to stumble into the room, before drawing the curtains hurriedly.

“What are you  _ doing _ here?” She turned to hiss at him, searching the room for anyone who might be standing guard. 

He placed a hand over his heart, his mask failing to hide his theatrical wounded expression. “That’s hardly fair. I came to see you, of course.” 

“Uh huh. What was the mark this time?” 

“Would you believe me if I told you I was trying to steal your heart?” 

She rolled her eyes. “Like I would believe anything you say. What did you take?” 

He grinned as he pulled a dark red ruby, set into a thick silver chain, out from beneath his cloak. “Nothing that would be missed.” 

“If you get caught, I’m not helping you.” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said as he tucked the gleaming jewel back into a hidden pocket. He flipped his hood down across his shoulders and ruffled his unruly blond hair, giving her a look that should be illegal. “I really did want to see you, though.” He reached down for one of her hands and pulled it up to his lips, kissing the back of her knuckles tenderly. His green eyes practically glittered when they caught the light. 

Before she could respond, she heard a commotion from outside. Guards were shouting to each other, their armor jangling as they ran. She barely caught the look of pure terror on Chat’s face before he smoothed it over, a sly smile curling his lips. 

“You did get caught. You’re just here to hide,” she said, pushing him away by his nose. 

He exaggerated his stumble backwards and pretended to catch himself. “The ruby may or may not have been a trap, I’ll admit. But I still stole it right out from under their noses.” 

“And what was the point? It’s not like you can fence that thing now, anyways!” 

“It’s the principle of the thing, princess. They say something can’t be stolen, you have to try to steal it. That’s the first thing you learn as a thief.” 

The commotion outside had gotten more urgent. She heard the captain of the guard shout to his men to start searching rooms. She reached forward to tug his hood back over his head, pulling it down farther than necessary so she didn’t have to see his smug smirk. 

“I’m pretty sure the first thing you learn is, ‘don’t get caught,’” she muttered, pushing him backwards towards the curtains. 

“You would know, wouldn’t you,  _ princess _ ?” He shot back at her, folding himself into the fabric deftly. To an outside eye, he had vanished. She could still see his nose, though. She flicked it just for good measure. 

She had just managed to place her vanity stool by the window, arrange her skirts artfully around her, and lean her chin on her hand to stare out the window when one of the guards came bursting in. She feigned ignorance, blinking at the guard like this was a most unexpected turn of events. 

“Apologies, princess Marinette, but we’re looking for a thief. We’ve been told to search all the rooms.” 

“A thief? How terrible! Was anything taken?” 

He hesitated. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry, how clumsy of me. You probably shouldn’t say.” She lowered her eyes as if she was worried she had offended him. 

“Not at all, princess,” the guard rushed to reassure her. “They came here for a ruby, set in silver.” 

She furrowed her brow and stood to cross the room to her vanity, digging through the side drawer. She had plucked the necklace from Chat’s pocket while she was pushing him towards the curtains, and planted it in the drawer before dragging the stool across the room. “You mean this ruby?” 

The guard was stunned. “Yes, that’s it. You’ve found it?” 

“I had asked one of the servants to pick something out for me to wear tonight when I met with the prince.” She placed it in the guard’s hand, letting the chain slide through her fingers. “I’m certain it was an honest mistake. I’m sorry for any trouble.” 

The guard stared into his hand before looking back up at her. She met his eyes earnestly.

“Yes, of course, I’ll bring this to the captain right away. Apologies for the intrusion, princess.” He bowed slightly before backing out, closing the door behind himself. 

Once she was sure he was gone, she let out the breath she had been holding in a whoosh.

“Did you have to give it back?” Chat pouted, untangling himself from the curtains. “I worked hard for that.” 

“How about a thank you?”

He smirked, adjusting his hood. “I thought you said you wouldn’t help me.” 

“That was the last time. I’m warning you.” 

“That’s what you said last time.” 

She felt the heat rise to her face. “Just because you’re irreplaceable as my right hand man doesn’t give you the right to come here whenever you please.” 

“Irreplaceable, huh?” 

She caught the note of jealousy in his voice. She was supposed to meet the prince tonight. Meet the prince, win his hand, steal the kingdom. It had been the plan since the beginning. When it was just the two of them, before they had their team, before they had any resources, before they had the people behind them. Steal the kingdom to give it back. That’s always been the plan. It had taken them years of preparation and months of infiltration to get her in this position. Now he wanted to blow the whole operation because he couldn’t stand the thought of her running away with someone else. 

She crossed the room in a few strides and gripped the front of his cloak in her fist, startling him, and pulled his face to hers, pressing her lips against his firmly. He melted into her kiss, circling his arms around her lower back to hold her against him. 

The full force of his kiss, after the months they’ve spent apart, made her dizzy. She broke apart before either of them could get too carried away. But she held his gaze. “Irreplaceable.” 

His cheeks flushed underneath his mask, half desire and half embarrassment. “Sorry, Milady.” 

“Use the servant’s entrance, over there. Go down two floors and come out of the first door on the right. You can take the silver candlesticks off the mantle, they won’t be missed. Make sure you’re seen coming out of that door and then run like hell.” 

She pressed another chaste kiss to his lips before she released her hold on his cloak. He frowned as he pulled away from her, but he quickly rearranged his features into his incorrigible smirk. Before she could chide him again, he leaned down quickly to steal a kiss from her cheek before fleeing to follow her instructions. 

"Run like hell and don't get caught," she whispered just before the door closed behind him. She turned to look out the window again. He had the easy job. The job you could run away from. 

She turned back to her room to start setting it back in order. Tonight was their one chance. Don't get caught. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an AU that's been bouncing around in my head since I saw this prompt. Milady and Chat Noir are the leaders of a Robin Hood style gang. They're taking advantage of an arranged marriage situation to "steal" the kingdom back from a tyrannical king (enter Hawkmoth). She and Chat Noir are established in their relationship, as they've been working on this plot together since they first met. The gang is basically running interference so Marinette can infiltrate the castle. Might end up playing with this more later, or it might just live as a one shot forever, only time will tell. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	4. Dare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir is over at Marinette's for a sleepover when the subject of tying cherry stems in knots comes up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if this is a thing elsewhere in the world, but I used to hear this superstition all the time. I really just wanted to write them hanging out and being friends, et voilà!

“Come on, I dare you.” 

“No, it’s stupid. I’m not doing it.” 

“Fine, then I double dare you.” 

“That doesn’t make it any less stupid.” 

He narrowed his eyes at her, swishing his belt tail to wrap around in front of his crossed legs. “I triple dog dare you.” 

Her eyes flashed at him as she fished the cherry out of the melted remains of the sundae she had just finished. 

The subject had come up when they were talking about American sleepover things they could do. He had already beaten her soundly in a game called “chubby bunny”. While they were making "sundaes", ice cream piled high with anything sweet they could think of, topping them off with cherries from a neglected jar in the back of the fridge, Marinette had mentioned offhandedly that there’s a superstition in America that if you can tie a cherry stem in a knot while it’s in your mouth that you’re a good kisser.

He had no idea why, but when he saw the cherry sitting at the bottom of her cup, he just really wanted to see if it could even be done. 

She ate the cherry first, popping it off the stem between her lips. She glared at him while she chewed, holding the stem between her fingertips. She looked away to put the stem in her mouth, then turned back to him, her mouth and cheeks moving in circles. 

He leaned forward, fascinated. Could it really be done? Can you tie a cherry stem into a knot using only your tongue? 

She put up a finger for him to wait, focusing hard on her task. He was clenching his fists on his knees, his tail flicking impatiently. 

Then she smiled, pulling the knotted stem out of her mouth triumphantly. It had taken her all of two minutes, but there it was. His mouth dropped open. That was… impressive. 

She flicked the stem back into her empty cup. Chat stared down at the cherry in his cup. If you can do it, you're a good kisser, huh? Maybe if he used that trick on Ladybug… 

He dug for it, before he realized that his gloves were getting covered in melted ice cream. But he managed to capture the cherry and he pulled his hand back out, licking the melted ice cream off his hand before it had a chance to drip down his forearm. Marinette giggled at him. He probably looked ridiculous. 

He plucked the cherry off the stem and ate it before putting the stem in his mouth. There had to be a trick to it. He wiggled his cheeks and lips trying to mimic what he had seen Marinette do, but the stem barely budged. Marinette raised her eyebrows.

"What are you doing?" she asked between giggles that she couldn't seem to hold back. 

He pulled the still very much untied stem out of his mouth. "How did you do that? The cherry thing. Can you teach me?" 

"You actually fell for that?" 

He flopped his head to the side. "Fell for what?" 

"I tied it before I put it in my mouth, Chat." She patted his knee sympathetically. 

"You cheated on a dare?"

"Duh.” She shrugged him off easily. “I don't know how to do that."

He was disappointed. He really thought he could impress Ladybug with that trick, or at least try to. Maybe he could figure it out later, or just pull the sleight of hand that Marinette pulled on him. It worked the same; it had impressed him, anyways. He dropped the stem back into his cup. 

Then a lightbulb went off in his head and he grinned mischievously. "You cheated on a dare."

Her eyes went wide when she caught his tone. "Now hold on-"

"You cheated on a triple dog dare." He pressed on gleefully. "The penalty for which will be…" He paused for effect, tapping his chin as if he were thinking. "A prank call to your crush."

"But-"

"And you have to tell a cat joke." He was up in his feline crouch now. He didn't realize when he got excited enough to be off the ground. 

Her face scrunched in defeat, or distaste, he couldn't tell which. "Fine. Give me my phone." 

Marinette had been pretty tight-lipped about who her crush was. He was practically vibrating with excitement. Why he wanted to know who it was so badly, he couldn't say. Maybe because she teased him all the time about his crush on Ladybug. It was payback time.

She found the number in her phone and her thumb hovered over the screen.She glanced up and saw him watching her anxiously. She stuck her tongue out at him before she hit the dial button without looking, then immediately her eyes went as big as saucers. 

"It's ringing, ohmygod Chat it's ringing, what am I supposed to say?" 

The tips of his toes were starting to go numb from crouching, but he also didn't dare move. His cat ears were able to hear the ringing on the other line, just like he thought. His plan was working purrfectly, if he did say so himself. Either Marinette would say their name when they answered, or he would hear it when the call went to voicemail. The anticipation was killing him. 

_Hey, this is Adrien’s voicemail. Leave a message._

What. 

“Hey, hi, um, A-Adrien, I…. have a funny joke for you! Um… What is a cat’s favorite color? Purr-ple! Ha, get it cause, the color and cats purr and… um… okay, bye!” She hung up and threw the phone to her chaise, sinking to the ground to hide her face in her knees. 

Uh…what? It felt like his brain was misfiring. Adrien? _Adrien?_ Marinette had a crush on him? He sat back on his haunches, dumbfounded. Huh. That did explain a lot. 

When she looked up again, her face was flaming red. “There. Are you happy?” 

He grinned when he thought about listening to her message again later. “Purrfectly.”


	5. Disguise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir and Marinette go to Naka-Kon, but Marinette wasn't expecting his "disguise"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this may have been done before, but this was all that was in my head for this prompt.

“I thought you said you’d wear a disguise!” Marinette was hiding the sides of her face with her hands. This was dangerous. This was reckless. This was such a bad idea. 

“Look around, princess, I’m practically invisible.”

She could hear the smugness in his voice. She dared to turn her head to the side to look at him. No, he was not invisible. There were cameras flashing everywhere. She ducked back down to avoid being in the pictures. Why had she agreed to come to this with him? Oh, that’s right, because he had assured her there was no way anyone would recognize him. She hadn’t been expecting him to be fully suited up. 

Someone ran up to them, and Marinette flinched, waiting for the inevitable. There’s no way he hadn’t been recognized. 

“I love your Chat Noir cosplay! Can I please take your picture?” The voice was female, breathless, clearly excited. Marinette felt a twinge of protectiveness. 

“Anything for my adoring fans,” Chat said, and Marinette could just picture him posing with his biceps flexed. What an absolute dork. She heard the camera click a few different times. 

“Thanks!” The voice said, before Marinette heard her retreating footsteps. She let herself breathe again. 

“Marinette, relax.” Chat laid one hand on her back and gripped her elbow with the other, helping her straighten up. “Seriously, take a look.” 

When she did look up, what she saw mystified her more than anything else that had happened today. The crowds were huge, but speckled in between all the booths and the spectators were at least fifteen other Chat Noirs. She spotted a few Ladybugs, too. Maybe that movie had been more popular than she thought. 

“If anything, you stick out right now more than me.” He chuckled. 

“But if I’m seen with you… isn’t this really dangerous?” 

“If you’re seen with me, you can roll your eyes and tell people I’m a dedicated cosplayer and you’re only here for moral support.” He flashed her a grin, his eyes bright. “It’s a win-win; you get to make fun of me and solidify my alibi.” 

It was comforting to know that he wouldn’t be taken seriously here. But she was still wary. “Why couldn’t you have just come as your civilian self?” 

He snorted. “Yeah, there’s just a few problems with that.” He slipped his hand into hers and squeezed. “Come on, this way.” 

He led her closer to the throng of people milling around outside the lecture hall. They had quite a few more picture requests, and Marinette was even brave enough to pose with him in one, letting him swing her up in his arms while she pretended to be a terrified citizen. She was having fun, really. 

But then the doors opened. This is why she had really agreed to come with Chat today. Adrien was supposed to be on this panel as the voice actor for Chat Noir. Chat had bribed her with it specifically, knowing she couldn’t refuse a chance to see Adrien Agreste, doing absolutely anything. But there was some sort of time conflict with something else Chat wanted to do, so she’d have to go in alone. She was practically shaking. 

What if Adrien saw her and thought it was weird she had come? Should she have told him she was coming? Chat had said it would be better as a surprise, but Marinette was starting to have doubts. Chat had told her they usually open up the floor for questions at the end, but she didn’t think she could ask anything in front of so many people. She would probably just stutter and make a fool of herself, and she should probably just go with Chat to whatever he wanted to do and-

Chat’s hand fell on her shoulder, and she turned to face him. How did he always have that look in his eyes? Even as Marinette he had complete faith in her. She knew it without him having to say a word. She nodded to him, and he squeezed her shoulder before steering her inside. He plopped her in a seat near the front and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, "for luck," he said, before he hurried off. 

Deep breaths, Marinette. It'll be dark, he won't even see you, he won't even know you're here, he won't know it's your question. 

But when the panel filed on stage, the house lights stayed on. Adrien picked her out of the crowd instantly and waved directly at her. A chorus of screams rose up behind her. She gave him a small wave back. He tilted his head and smiled at her and her heart melted just a little bit more. 

She tried to focus on the panel. It seemed really interesting; they were talking about making the movie and how the animation worked and how they picked their voice actors. She had her eye on Adrien. He didn’t talk much, but he smiled and laughed easily with the adults on stage. The only time he seemed uncomfortable was when someone started talking about “Gabriel sticking his nose in our casting decisions.” 

Someone else on the panel was quick to defend Adrien, though, saying they couldn’t have picked a better Chat Noir even if they tried. Adrien blushed and he reached up to rub the nape of his neck. 

Here she was worrying about asking one question in front of the crowd. How nerve-racking must it be to actually be up there? 

After what seemed like an eternity, the floor was opened for questions. Her hand shot in the air. From the panel, Adrien smiled at her. Not just to the crowd, directly at her. He nodded his head. She could hear Chat’s voice in her head.

_ You'll do great, Marinette.  _

Must be a coincidence, since Adrien happened to be Chat's voice actor. 

The microphone was passed to her. This was such a dumb question, why is she even bothering to ask? And why did she have to be first? She clutched the microphone with both hands, willing herself not to stammer. 

"My question is for Adrien." 

She took a deep breath. It was just one question, why was her heart pounding? 

"You're a full time student and model, and you keep up with lots of activities after school. How did you balance voicing Chat Noir in the movie on top of everything else?" 

Adrien leaned into his microphone onstage. "That's a great question. Thankfully I have a great team behind me and they helped me keep everything organized.” He smiled at her again and winked. It gave her the bravery to shout out another question as they were pulling the microphone away from her. 

“Did you have fun?” 

“Sorry, what was that? I didn’t catch it,” he said, motioning for the person to give her back the microphone. 

“I wondered… I mean was it fun to be Chat Noir?” 

He blinked at her. The crowd was with her, they were waiting to hear his response. Then he positively smirked. It was the most Chat thing Marinette had ever seen him do. 

“Being Chat Noir was the most fun I’ve ever had.” 


	6. Chat Blanc

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette confesses she has nightmares that are somehow related to Chat Noir.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is loosely inspired by [this drawing](https://australet789.tumblr.com/post/616632029043408896/bad-days) by australet789.
> 
> This one's a bit hurt/comforty lol but if there's a way to do "Chat Blanc" without angst, I certainly don't know it.

Marinette seemed… tired lately. More than usual anyways. Adrien had noticed it today in class when her head thunked heavily on her desk behind him. It looked like she had been leaning on her hand before her head slipped. But she didn’t even wake up. He and Alya had shared a look. Best not to wake her. One of them would get her the notes later. 

And that’s how he ended up balanced on her balcony railing as Chat Noir and debating whether he should knock on her skylight or not. 

It wasn’t that weird to check on a friend you were concerned about, right? And it wasn’t his fault it was so late, he got stuck at a photoshoot and then he had piano practice and homework. Maybe he should just turn around. This seemed like overstepping. Alya could probably check on her tomorrow. It wasn’t necessary for him to be here, he just… wanted to be. 

He heard a heavy thump from inside, a lot like the one he heard today in class, and it solidified his resolve. He stepped down onto her balcony and crouched above her skylight, glancing in just to make sure she hadn’t fallen or anything. Marinette was sitting up on the floor beside her bed, her blanket tangled around her. Very much awake, but confused. She looked up when he knocked. He waved and saw her shake her head before she stood on her bed to open the door for him. 

She stifled a yawn as she waved him inside. Too tired, then, to care about niceties. He dropped through, landing on his knees to avoid getting his boots on her comforter. She slid down the ladder to collapse onto her chaise instead. He followed and crouched nearby. What was he doing here? 

“What are you doing here, Chat?” She snuggled the pillow on her chaise, her eyes closing as she spoke. 

He blanked. He had no clue what he was doing here. How could he answer without revealing himself? “I was worried about you,” he admitted. She turned her head to look at him, her brow furrowed. Backtrack, backtrack. Chat Noir had no reason to be concerned. 

“I mean, your friend at the Ladyblog, she mentioned… and I just thought since I was passing by…” 

“Alya. Right.” Marinette smushed her face into her pillow, muffling her groan. “I fell asleep in class today, that’s all.” 

“From what Alya said, it was a little more than that.” 

She sat up, hugging her pillow to her stomach. Now that he was looking closely, he could see the red mark on her forehead where she had hit the desk. She had dark circles under her eyes, and it looked like she had a lead weight on her shoulders. Something was definitely wrong. 

“You promise you won’t tell Alya?” 

“Cat’s honor,” he said as he held a hand to his heart and two fingers up in the air. 

She scrunched her nose at him, but then she sighed. “I’ve been having… nightmares… for a while. It makes it hard to sleep.” She tucked her knees up under her chin. 

Nightmares. He knew a thing or two about that. Sandboy hadn’t been that far off. Between the prison bars closing in on him and the Evil Ladybug, he’d had his fill. 

“Is there anything I can do to help?” 

She looked over at him, and he could swear there were tears in her eyes. “Would you... stay with me?” 

He nearly fell forward out of his crouch, but managed to catch himself. “Uh, stay, you mean like, stay… the night?”

She nodded into her knees. “I think it would help. Knowing you’re here and you’re okay and you’re not…” She seemed to catch herself then and she shook her head. “Anyways, you could wake me up if it happens again.” 

Knowing he’s okay? What was that about? Marinette’s nightmares couldn’t possibly be anything related to him; Chat Noir has had barely any contact with her. Not to mention, could he even stay in the suit for a whole night? He had never tried. It seemed like an unnecessary burden on Plagg. But if it would help Marinette, how could he possibly refuse? 

“Sure, yeah,” he heard himself say. “I’ll stay.” 

She stood and put the pillow back on the chaise, gesturing that he could sleep there. He sat awkwardly. She climbed her ladder again and tossed a blanket down to him, which he caught easily. 

She was asleep again within a few minutes. He could hear her breathing even out. He lay back on the chaise and folded his hands over his stomach, tapping his claw against his wrist. He had been in her room a few times before, but never left by himself, and never at night. His heart was pounding as he stared at the ceiling. No way he’d be getting any sleep. 

He sat back up and slipped to the floor, using his night vision to guide him as he moved around. Her sewing machine, a project in mid-completion folded neatly next to it, a box covered in polka dots with a key stuck in the lock. Pictures of Adrien, cut out of the magazines he had been in lately. He ran his hand across her desk. The whole room was so Marinette. Her room could fit inside his bathroom at the mansion. But he liked it. It was cozy, homey. 

“Chat, no...” 

He heard her mutter in her sleep. She was starting to move around a lot up there. Must be his cue. He crept up the ladder, poking his head up to check on her. She had her arms stretched out, like she was pushing something—or maybe someone—away. 

“I’m not Ladybug!” 

Ladybug? What in the world…?

She started to kick then, almost like she was trying to run in her sleep. He went up the last few rungs of the ladder to be next to her. She had told him to wake her up if it happened again. He reached out to hold her hand but she yanked it away from him. Whatever this nightmare was, she was terrified. She was crying in her sleep. 

Alright, then, Marinette wanted him to be here for a reason. He slid an arm behind her neck as he settled into the bed beside her, pulling her face into his chest and wrapping his arms around her tightly. It stopped her from moving as much, at least. Unconsciously, a purr started rumbling through him. Marinette beat her hands against him in her sleep, catching him hard on the jaw once, but he held fast. All at once, the tension drained out of her. She sighed and nuzzled into him. He let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. 

She was so small, bundled up against him like this. Now that she was back asleep, he should probably get back down the ladder. He relaxed his hold on her, and her head fell gently back onto his bicep. Effectively trapping him next to her. But he couldn’t mind too much. Even though her dreams had quieted down, she still had a small frown on her face. Her hair was plastered to her neck, from sweat or tears, he couldn’t tell. A stray strand was sticking to her wet cheek.

He was glad he stayed. This nightmare, whatever it was, was bad enough to make Marinette, the strongest person he knew second only to Ladybug, cry.

He reached over to wipe her hair away from her face. Her brow furrowed, and then her eyes opened. 

She startled at first; admittedly, he was a lot closer than she probably expected him to be. But she recovered quickly and scooted closer to tuck her nose into his neck. He felt it when she started crying again; her shoulders started shaking and her tears were dropping onto his shoulder. He wished his suit would absorb it, but it was probably rolling right off him. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" 

She shook her head against him. He reached up to start dragging his claws through her tangled hair, teasing out the knots gently. Her words from before came back to him. 

"I'm here, and I'm okay." 

She gave a little whimper and he tightened his arms around her again. “I’ll stay right here as long as you want me to.” 


	7. Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A distraught Chat shows up on Marinette's balcony and she discovers he's very in need of a friend.

Marinette nearly jolted out of her chair as Chat crash landed on her balcony. His baton fell out of his hand and clattered to the roof and he hardly seemed to notice. Before she could even stand, or say anything, he had pulled himself over to her and collapsed into her lap, shaking with the force of his sobs. Hesitantly, Marinette laid her arm across his shoulders and dug her other hand in his hair between his cat ears. 

This was so unlike him. 

He was her witty, flirty, bantering partner. Of course she knew there was a boy under the mask. She had guessed from the small glimpses he had given her that he was lonely. 

She rubbed his shoulder, squeezing lightly, as he clutched her knees and wept into her lap. Lonely was one thing. This was another. This was… starved. Desperate. She leaned down to lay her head against his. 

Eventually his shoulders stopped shaking. Eventually his grip on her knees lessened. Eventually he sighed. She didn't let go of him until she felt him push away from her. He sat back on his heels and wiped at his cheeks with the back of his hand before he cleared his throat. 

"Sorry… I just… um…" He tried to smile, but it wobbled and his breath caught before he hid his face with his hand, pinching his tear ducts to try to force himself to stop crying. 

The chair toppled as Marinette rushed forward to gather him in her arms. He kept his hand over his face as his head fell onto her shoulder. His crying was less forceful now, quieter, but she could still feel his tears seeping into her shirt. He relaxed into her by degrees until he finally wrapped an arm around her waist to hug her back, nuzzling into her shoulder. 

Whatever was bothering him, the physical affection seemed to be helping. She nestled her fingers into his hair and laid her cheek on the side of his head. 

"I didn't know where else to go," he whispered into her shoulder. 

She took a moment to let that sink in. Her fun-loving, pun-cracking, stunt-pulling partner felt like he didn't have anyone to turn to. How long had he been carrying this weight before it broke over his shoulders? How long had he been hiding it? She gave him a little squeeze. 

"I'm glad you came here." 

He nodded against her shoulder and pulled away, and it broke her heart as she watched him fix a goofy grin on his face. It looked so wrong against the sadness in his eyes. 

"You know what they say about giving attention to stray cats." His smile quirked sideways. "They follow you inside and become yours." He was trying to deflect her attention. And she would let him. But first. 

"You're always welcome here." 

His smile faltered. "You don't have to say that." 

"I don't have to say anything, Chat. I mean it. Any time." 

It was interesting how, incredibly like a stray cat, the more direct attention she showed him, the more he seemed to shy away. She could feel him closing off again, boxing away whatever he was feeling so he could pretend he was okay. She flicked his bell out of habit. 

"So, hot cocoa?" 

He blinked at her. "Hot cocoa?" 

"Yes. Hot cocoa. Do you want some?" She inclined her head towards her skylight and raised her eyebrows in a clear invitation. 

Chat sat back on his haunches, considering. He sniffed and rubbed at his eyes before he nodded. "I'd, uh… I'd really like that." 

"Me, too." She held out a hand for him and he took it hesitantly. "You play MechaStrike?" 

"Mhmm." 

As she opened her skylight and started to climb inside, she grinned back at him. "Bet I could beat you." 

He paused before he caught her teasing tone and this time his smirk crinkled the edges of his mask. "You're on." 


	8. Balcony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat has the role of Romeo in his school play and Marinette is playing Juliet. It's only natural they would practice together, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shakespeare, anyone? Sorry, I couldn't resist. Feel free to skip this one, it's mostly self-indulgent

Marinette leaned over her balcony railing, sighing deeply. Another day gone. Another failed attempt to talk to Adrien. Alya had set them up to play Romeo and Juliet in the class play. How had Alya thought she’d be able to talk to him in English—not to mention iambic pentameter—when she can’t even get her words straight in French? She sighed again. It hadn’t gone well. 

“She speaks, yet she says nothing, what of that? Her eye discourses; I will answer it.” 

Her head popped up at the familiar voice, although she couldn’t quite figure out where it was coming from. The English hit her ear in a familiar pattern. Chat was quoting Shakespeare. What an odd coincidence. 

“I am too bold, ‘tis not to me she speaks: two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, having some business, do entreat her eyes to twinkle in their spheres till they return.” 

She spotted him then, perched on his baton in mid-air and holding out a rose for her. She chuckled, shaking her head at his nonsense and leaning her cheek into her hand on the railing. 

“See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand! O, that I were a glove upon that hand, that I might touch that cheek!” 

She could practically picture him waggling his eyebrows at her. Show off. He stood, tipping the baton towards her balcony and landing gracefully to hang on the other side of her railing, his baton collapsing automatically. He spun it around with a flourish before latching it onto his back, offering her the rose. 

“Chat!” She tried to admonish him through her giggles, but she took the rose all the same. 

“She speaks: O, speak again, bright angel!” 

Two could play at this. She clasped her hands dramatically, kicking a heel up to be the perfect picture of a damsel in distress. “O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?” 

“That’s good,” he purred, “keep going.” 

Her cheeks flushed. She hadn’t really done that well with these lines in class. But she did _know_ them. It had been delivering them to Adrien that had made her collapse into a stuttering mess. 

“Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I’ll no longer be a Capulet.” 

Chat pulled himself up over the railing, landing neatly beside her. “Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?” 

“Chat, this is stupid.” 

“Oh, come on, princess, I just need to practice.” 

“Why would you need to practice Shakespeare?” 

“I got the role of Romeo in my school’s play.” He practically crowed, his chest puffing out proudly. 

“My school is doing that one, too.” Marinette sighed again. “I’m playing Juliet.” 

“That’s... a fascinating coincidence...” 

“But I think I might let someone else take the part.” She wrapped her arms around herself. 

His hands fell on her shoulders, and she looked up at him in surprise. “You’ll be great. Who could possibly be a better Juliet to my Romeo?” His eyes were soft as he smiled at her. 

Her eyes widened. He’s not… that’s not… oh no. 

“You know, to help me practice?” His smile shifted into a smirk, but her suspicion hadn’t faded. 

“What man art thou that thus bescreen’d in night so stumblest on my council?” She started the scene they had done in class today, at once hoping and not hoping he would play along. 

His eyes lit up as he caught his cue. “By a name I know not how to tell thee who I am: My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself, because it is an enemy to thee; had I it written, I would tear the word.” 

His delivery is a little more flamboyant than Adrien’s, with more flourishing of his hands, but the way the words fall was so similar. The coincidences were starting to stack up in her mind. 

“My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words of that tongue’s utterance, yet I know the sound: Art thou not Romeo and a Montague?” She whispered the last line. Her heart started hammering in her chest. Are you not Adrien Agreste? 

“Neither, fair saint, if either thee dislike.” He had shed his theatrical tone. Either his acting was phenomenal, or he was just as serious as she was. 

“If they do see thee, they will murder thee.” This was bad. This was so bad. If she had figured it out, had anyone else? 

“Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye than twenty of their swords; look thou but sweet, and I am proof against their enmity.” 

He was teasing her again. Damn right she had peril in her eyes. “I would not for the world they saw thee here.” Her voice wavered. Didn’t he know how dangerous this was? For both of them? 

“I have night’s cloak to hide me from their sight.” He dropped to his knee to take her hand, pressing it to his lips like he’s done so many times before. “And but thou love me,” he looked up at her, the sincerity in his eyes overwhelming her, “let them find me here: my life were better ended by their hate than death prorogued, wanting of thy love.” 

Chat definitely wasn’t acting. Any more than she had been. Which meant that was not Chat pretending to confess his love. Pretending to tell her he would risk everything to be with her. Heat rose to her face. Chat was Adrien and Adrien had just confessed his love for her. He stood again, still holding her hand in his. She couldn’t answer. Like always around Adrien, her words seemed stuck in her throat. She couldn’t even pull up her next line. 

“O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?” He prompted her, but she heard his real question wavering underneath the poetry. Do you love me, too? 

She cleared her throat, but her voice still came out as a whisper. “What satisfaction canst thou have to-night?”

“The exchange of thy love’s faithful vow for mine.” 

When she looked into his eyes, she saw Adrien for the first time behind Chat’s mask. Hopeful, his heart on his sleeve, offering it to her. She nodded, unable to remember Juliet’s next line, but knowing what it was anyways. 

Her answer slipped out in French. “I gave you mine before you even asked for it.” 


	9. Tuxedo Chat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir shows up on Marinette's balcony in a suit with flowers and apparently a surprise for her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Days 19-24 will be linked together, and it's pretty much pure fluff

Marinette heard the light clatter of Chat’s boots as he touched down on her balcony. She smiled as she listened to him knocking around a bit on her roof. He had started intentionally making more noise when he landed after the first few times of Marinette panicking and nearly clobbering him. She pushed away from her desk and hurried up the ladder to let him in. 

To her surprise, he wasn’t waiting for her at the skylight. She stuck her head out to look for him and found him standing back by the railing in a well-fitted suit, flowers in hand. He grinned at her as she clambered up, suddenly very self-conscious of her loungewear. She wrapped her arms around herself against the chill of the evening. 

“Uh, hi?” 

“Happy anniversary,” he said, still grinning, offering her the flowers. 

She racked her brain as she accepted the bouquet. Was there something she missed? Without thinking about it, she stuck her face in the flowers and inhaled. Small daisies were tucked around pink roses. She couldn’t help but smile. He never failed to surprise her, that’s for sure. When she looked back up at him, his eyes were bright, almost glowing, as he waited for her response. 

“Thank you?” 

He nodded in acknowledgment, then offered her a hand. “I have a surprise for you.” 

She looked him over again, then blushed furiously at the realization that the suit he was wearing looked impeccable on him. Like it was made for him. The black fabric clung nicely to his slim frame, the green of his eyes was echoed by his tie, and he had a pink rose pinned in his breast pocket. She looked down at her pajamas. If he had a surprise planned that he was wearing a suit for… 

Then she had the perfect dress. She held up a hand, and he tilted his head quizzically. “Wait right there. I’ll be right back.” 

That look he gave her. His fond smile and soft eyes. She shivered as she turned away, but not from the cold. She was careful of the bouquet as she lowered herself back into her bedroom, sneaking one last glance at him. He had turned to lean his arms on the railing, his face lifted to the night sky. 

Once her knees touched down on her bed she had to pause to collect herself. She shook her head, smiling at how silly she felt. This was Chat Noir, after all. Her goofy, pun-throwing partner, who was admittedly sweet and charming and handsome and-

She shook her head again, her cheeks burning. It was just Chat Noir.

She slid down her ladder, refocusing on the dress she had thought about before. She hadn’t really had an excuse to wear it yet, although she had put the finishing touches on it a few weeks ago. She stepped back to check the detailing one more time while it was on the form. It was relatively simple: a dark green midi dress with a sweetheart neckline and capped sleeves, adorned with black lace on the bodice and a tie at the waist. She had seen the dark green fabric in the store and this dress just popped into her head. If she were to wear it tonight, she and Chat Noir would match. 

He hadn't said what they were apparently celebrating, other than it was an anniversary. So what happened a year ago that would be memorable enough to celebrate? She glanced down at the bouquet in her hands. The pink roses reminded her of when he came over for brunch, but that wasn’t quite a year ago. And besides, he wouldn’t want to celebrate rejecting her and her dad being akumatized. It wasn’t that, then. 

She leaned in to smell the bouquet again, and the scent of the fresh roses brought up another memory. A rooftop that he had whisked her away to once to cheer her up. Adorned with roses and candles. The flush of heat returned to her cheeks. That was a year ago?

She busied herself with finding a vase for the flowers first, willing her heart to stop racing. It wasn’t a particularly happy memory, for either of them, but it was the first time she saw that side of him. It was the first time she thought of him as the boy behind the mask instead of “just Chat Noir”. The first time they bonded over a shared heartache. An anniversary. It was fitting for both of them. She knew Ladybug hadn’t accepted him yet, and Adrien still didn’t know how she felt. What a pair they made. 

She set the flowers in place resolutely. He needed cheering up tonight, which is why he went to these lengths. The flowers, the suit, the surprise. It wasn’t some grandiose romantic gesture. He just wanted to make her smile so he could feel better. She turned back to the dress form, slipping the dress over easily, smiling to herself.

He needed a friend tonight. And that was definitely something she could handle. 


	10. Cat got your tongue?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat's plan to get Marinette to wear the dress she's been working on is going well. Until he sees her in it and inexplicably loses his ability to use words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is linked to the previous one. 
> 
> I don't know if I could ever get tired of writing flustered Adrien. It's just too much fun.

As he waited for Marinette, Chat smiled up at the stars. It was a perfect, cloudless night in Paris. His plan was going well, so far. Marinette had liked the flowers. Or at least she had smiled when he gave them to her. The suit was a win, too, based on the way she had appraised him. No doubt her designer's eye was appreciating the fine tailoring. He had taken a small risk in wearing a suit from his father's line, but it was at least widely available. 

Marinette had been talking to Alya in the mornings about the dress she was working on. Her frustrations with the stretchy fabric, how fiddly the lace was, how she was trying to get the sleeves even. He knew when she finished it because when she arrived to class that day, breathless and just barely on time, she had a triumphant smile and she held her head just a little higher. She didn't say anything about it though, and she hadn't worn it to class. Adrien was dying to see her hard work, to see her proudly show off an original design, but after a few weeks she still hadn't worn it. 

That was when the plan first hatched. Based on what she had told Alya, he knew he had a suit and tie that matched. What designer would be able to resist such a perfect opportunity? Mainly he just needed an excuse to wear it for her, when he remembered the night he had shown up at Marinette's balcony after Ladybug stood him up. An anniversary of sorts. He could wear the suit, bring her flowers, show up unexpectedly… but then he needed somewhere to take her. To show her design off to all of Paris. 

His smile grew. She was going to love it. 

He heard the skylight open behind him, but he wanted to wait to turn around. He wanted to get the full effect of the dress, exactly as Marinette had intended it to be seen. So he waited. He waited until he heard Marinette's light step onto the roof, waited until she paused for him to turn, waited until she cleared her throat softly. 

He held his breath as he turned. 

And then his breath was taken away.

Marinette stood shyly, one ankle hooked around the other, her hands clasped behind her back. The dark green dress nipped in at her waist before the skirt floated away from her, swishing slightly in the breeze. The sweetheart neckline exposed the pale skin at the base of her throat, her shoulders just barely peeking out of the capped sleeves. She had taken a daisy from the bouquet he gave her and tucked it behind her ear. 

She was waiting for him to say something. He should say something. Tell her how beautiful the dress was—how beautiful she was. But the words got stuck in his throat. All he could do was stare blankly at her like an idiot. This was not part of the plan. 

He swallowed past the lump in his throat, once, twice, but he still couldn't get the words out. 

Marinette giggled softly at the look on his face. He watched as she shifted from the shy classmate he knew into a sly confidence he had only caught glimpses of before. 

"Cat got your tongue?" She asked playfully. 

He could only nod, offering her his hand again. She moved forward to accept it this time. He pulled her in to him as he reached for his baton so he could whisk her away. The breeze shifted, carrying the scent of a soft floral perfume towards him. As he took her waist, his heart was racing, and his hands shook as he fumbled to open his baton. 

This wasn't part of the plan. But he couldn't really complain. 


	11. Fireworks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat brings Marinette to the Eiffel Tower for her surprise, which happens to be a fireworks show.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is linked to the previous two. 
> 
> I actually found out while writing this that fireworks are only allowed on Bastille Day and New Year's. But that just made me think that Chat had to pull some serious strings to make this happen and honestly it made this whole thing better to me. Hope you like it!

Marinette held on tight to Chat as the night air whipped past them. It wasn't like she hadn't been up this high before as Ladybug, but there was something exhilarating about the way Chat traveled. More reckless. The way he threw himself easily off a rooftop before free falling a short distance, his baton extending at perfectly calculated moments. She was tempted to pull away from him so she could see the city flashing past, see it the way he did, but instead she buried her face into his shoulder. 

His arm flexed just barely around her waist, clutching her to him a little tighter to reassure her. She trusted him. 

Besides, she knew the route he was taking. They were headed for the Eiffel Tower. Although what Chat had planned there she had no idea. Another rooftop picnic? Seemed to be his thing. And if it was an anniversary they were celebrating, it would make sense. 

A pinch of jealousy twisted her stomach. The Tower was their spot, his and Ladybug's. But then she chided herself. That was nonsense. He and Ladybug didn't have a spot. They weren't a couple. And whatever he had planned was for her, as Marinette. She let herself smile against his shoulder. 

When they arrived, he set her feet on the ground, instructing her to keep her eyes closed. She waited as he rustled around, trying to follow his movements. She heard a few small clicks and the light behind her eyelids got a little brighter with each one. 

"Okay, you can open them," he said. 

They were on the top level of the Tower, overlooking the river. Even though the Tower was lit up, he had strung a few fairy lights around their little corner, casting a warm glow over them. He had tied small bunches of pink roses here and there, completing the cozy atmosphere. 

She spun to get the full effect, her skirt swishing around her knees as she twirled. She couldn't believe how much thought he had put into this. It was beautiful. She turned to tell him as much and found him watching her again, that same soft smile he had given her before playing over his lips. 

When she met his eyes, he started guiltily, a blush creeping up underneath his mask, and he cleared his throat before he turned to look out at the river. 

"Perfect timing," he murmured, then turned back to her, gesturing with his head towards the railing. "The show's about to start." 

She joined him at the railing, wondering what he was talking about, when a resounding boom went off below them. Startled, she clutched at his arm unconsciously. She heard him chuckle before another explosion sounded above them, a bright magenta flower blooming across the sky at almost eye level with them. 

She gasped in delight, the bright sparks leaving spots behind her eyes as the firework faded from the sky. 

The next few followed in quick succession, and she got lost in the beautiful colors, the noise of it all. The ones that left a sparkling trail in the sky were her favorites. They looked like glitter falling through the air. She threaded her arm through Chat's to lean her head on his shoulder. He laid a hand over hers, and she felt him shift just a little closer to her. 

The fireworks continued, and she felt something akin to pride welling up inside of her. He was so thoughtful. He had done all this for her. How long had he been planning this? It must've taken him a while to get everything set up, to have it ready to surprise her with. 

She nuzzled into his shoulder before she looked up at him, smiling. He was still watching the sky as the next one exploded overhead, throwing a blue light over them briefly before it faded. She wanted to thank him, to tell him how much she loved his surprise, but just then he seemed to notice her out of his peripherals and he turned to look at her. 

Their faces were mere inches apart. She could see herself reflected in his eyes, and she watched his lips part slightly in surprise, felt him take a sharp breath in. 

Another firework exploded beside them, but neither of them were watching anymore. 


	12. Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More fireworks, but of a more personal sort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is linked to the previous three.

His heart started to hammer in his chest as their eyes locked. She was tantalizingly close, still curled around his arm, her head pillowed on his shoulder, tilted up towards him. And that look she was giving him. He felt his stomach lurch into his throat. 

The fireworks kept exploding, but they seemed so far away. Everything around them seemed to fade into background noise until all he could see was Marinette. He leaned down, hesitantly, expecting her to pull away. But she didn't. She tilted her lips up further until they barely brushed against his, feather light, a short breath leaving her to fan across his cheek. 

He kept his eyes on her as she paused, her eyes fluttering closed. He brought a hand up to cradle the side of her head, turning slightly to pull her closer to him. Their lips were still parted, their breaths intermingling, and he wanted so badly to lean down and cover her lips with his. But then the thought crossed his mind briefly that this had to be a dream, that as soon as he moved to close the distance, he would wake up. 

Only one way to find out. He dipped his head to press his lips firmly against hers. Her lips were soft, yielding, and she had some sort of chapstick on that tasted like sweet mint. The sound of the world around him rushed back, pressing in on him, the fireworks reverberating in his chest. This was real. She was real. His eyes closed as he brought his arm up against her lower back, pressing her closer to him, falling deeper into her kiss. 

She broke away from him to breathe, but he felt her push up on her toes, falling against him, trusting him to support her, as she wrapped her arms around his neck, digging her fingers in his hair and pulling him back to her. He encircled her with his arms, crushing her to him, answering her need with his own. 

He only noticed the fireworks had stopped when he realized the world was quiet again. He pulled away from her, panting for breath, and chuckled softly at the irony. He had brought her here to watch the fireworks with her, and neither of them had been paying any attention. But he still didn't feel like he had missed a second of it. The fireworks between them had more than made up for it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for the delay and for the short chapter. Kisses are apparently my Achilles heel, but that just means I get to practice writing these two dorks kissing over and over until I figure it out :D


	13. Blush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of Marinette's kiss with Chat Noir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is linked to the previous four

Marinette’s eyes flew open when Chat chuckled. His eyes were still closed, his arms were still around her, and he was smiling. She pushed off his chest lightly to step away from him, touching her fingers to her lips as she turned to hide her complete shock. 

What did she just do? She kissed Chat Noir! This was a disaster! 

She knew how he felt about Ladybug and she hadn’t told him about Adrien and he probably still remembered her awful confession so he didn’t know that she hadn’t meant it and he probably thought—disaster! A disaster!

She felt the heat of her blush creep all the way up to the roots of her hair. She kissed Chat Noir. 

And she had really liked it. 

She dared to turn back to him. She knew him. And she could see the small, disappointed slump to his shoulders and she could tell his smirk was forced. 

“That bad, huh?” He tried to joke as his cheeks tinged pink under his mask and his hand found its way behind his head. 

With her fingers still on her lips, her eyes bounced around the space he had created. The surprise he had planned, the fireworks, the suit, the flowers. Had he-

Had he wanted this to happen? 

His arm dropped as he watched her and waited for her to respond. When she still didn’t, he sighed and opened his baton, offering her his hand like he had before. 

“I guess I’d better get you home.”

The thought of being carried by him again—being held close to him, burying her face in his shoulder, feeling his arms and his body move against her— made her blush intensify and she covered her face with her hands as she combusted. 

She heard his baton slide shut and his hand fell on her shoulder. She peeked up at him through her fingers. His embarrassment was gone, replaced with concern for her. 

“Marinette, are you okay? What’s wrong?” 

She squeaked and hid again. What _was_ wrong? This was Chat Noir. He was her goofy, pun-throwing partner who was admittedly sweet and charming and handsome and-

And Chat Noir. 

She uncovered her eyes slowly to look at him again. His bright green eyes were entirely focused on her, his brow furrowed, his messy blond hair falling over his face, his frown deepening as he worried about her. 

“You kissed me,” she whispered. 

His eyes widened and he backed away from her hurriedly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, it just—I just-” 

She surprised herself by giggling. “No, I mean, you kissed _me_.” 

It was adorable the way his head tilted to the side as he tried to understand. 

She had no idea how to explain that she was giggling because she remembered that he had kissed her first. He had leaned into it. He was in love with Ladybug and she was in love with Adrien and Chat Noir had kissed her first and she had kissed Chat Noir back.

What a pair they made. 

Her giggles intensified, bubbling through her fingers as she tried to hold them back, until she was laughing. He straightened up and crossed his arms and she tried her best to stop so she could talk, but it just kept going. 

When it had finally died down—she was still chuckling, but it was at least under control—she met his eyes again and he was still watching her, waiting uncomfortably, hoping she would explain. 

She shook her head and took a step towards him and his arms automatically uncrossed. She reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly and pressing her cheek to his shoulder. 

He was stunned for a moment, but his arms dropped around her and he leaned his head down on hers. She sighed in relief. Nothing was wrong, not really. 

She heard his baton slide open again and his grip tightened around her as he extended it to start to make the trip back to her balcony. 

She nuzzled further into his neck, breathing in his familiar cologne and delighting in feeling his heart rate pick up. Maybe thinking about carrying her was having the same effect on him as it’d had on her earlier. She pulled away to sneak a glance at his face. 

And he was blushing again, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... I know it's July. But I wanted to at least finish the linked story I had started, and I might also circle back around to some of the other prompts I missed during the actual event.


	14. Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette decides to give Chat a rose for their 'anniversary.' The same rose he gave Ladybug a year ago. Which leads Chat to wonder: why does Marinette have it?

_Well… that could’ve gone better_ , Chat thought as he carried Marinette home. Of all the reactions he’d considered after his first kiss—well, not counting the ones with Ladybug that he couldn’t remember—uncontrollable laughter wasn’t one he’d expected. Not that he’d expected anything tonight, anyways, it was just… he’d gotten caught up in the moment. He hoped she wouldn’t be angry with him when he explained, when he told her he didn’t mean anything by it, that it was just… that she was just… a friend. 

But that had always been a lie, and he knew that now. It had meant everything to him. In that moment, he had wanted nothing more than to keep kissing Marinette as long as she’d let him. He wanted to kiss her again, all the time, every time he saw her. Her cheeks, her forehead, her hands, her shoulders, her lips. He wanted her to know how amazing he thought she was and how much he loved—

Ladybug. He loved Ladybug. Didn’t he?

Marinette’s grip tightened around his neck as he wobbled on his next vault upwards. He caught them on the next rooftop, pushing off again to regain momentum and helicopter down. 

He’d have to see Marinette in class tomorrow. Why had he ever thought this was a good plan? His stomach felt like a rubber hose tied in hopeless knots. Would he be able to avoid thinking about her lips on his and how soft they were and that floral perfume she wore and—

He’d have to find a way. He’d really screwed up this time. 

They’d made it back to her balcony. He let her slip away from him, fully intending on leaping away before he could embarrass himself any further. But she held on to his hand as he tried to turn away. 

“Chat Noir?” 

“Yes?” he asked, too quickly, too brightly, as he turned back to her. His heartbeat jumped to his ears. 

She was looking at a spot near his shoulder, blushing harder than he’d ever seen, worrying her lower lip with her top teeth. His eyes were drawn to them before he could help it. She took a deep breath. “Happy anniversary,” she finally said, “I’m sorry I didn’t get you anything.” 

He felt her warmth spreading from his fingertips and into his chest. He took her other hand in his and smiled. 

“You didn’t have to."

She chewed her lip as she seemed to think about something. Then her eyes lit up. “Actually, I do have something for you.” 

His head quirked to the side before he could stop it. She smiled, brighter than all the lights in Paris, and squeezed his hands before she let go and took a step towards her skylight. 

“Wait right here, okay?” She turned back to tell him. He nodded. What else could he do but wait for her? 

* * *

“Marinette, are you sure about this?” Tikki asked as she hovered close to Marinette’s ear, buzzing with anxiety. Marinette stopped flipping through her journal to look at her. Her blue eyes were wide with concern and she wouldn’t stop flitting back and forth. 

“No. But I’ll never be sure, will I?” She resumed flipping pages, trying to find the entry from a year ago. 

“But if you give him that-”

“I know, Tikki,” Marinette said as she pulled out a delicate, dried red rose from between the pages. She glanced down at the entry and ran her fingers over the indents her pen had left. Her handwriting was hurried; she remembered how her pen had struggled to keep up with her racing thoughts. 

She touched her fingertips to her lips again. It wasn’t the kiss itself tonight that had truly surprised her. It was the realization that she wanted to kiss him again. That she’d wanted to kiss him before. As he’d handed her this rose. He’d stepped in close and leaned in… her heart had fluttered because he was so close and she thought that maybe… and his lips had landed on her cheek. And she had been disappointed. 

All this time telling herself that he was just a friend, that he was just her partner. A whole year. She shook her head and met Tikki’s anxious gaze again. 

“I trust him.” 

Tikki landed on her palm and smiled knowingly. 

* * *

When Marinette emerged again, she kept her back turned to him as much as she could while she struggled out. As he rushed forward to help her, his curiosity was bubbling over. She had something specific in mind that had made her think of him. Was it something else she made? 

Her hands were cupped as if she had a butterfly caged between her fingers. Protecting something fragile. He caught a glimpse of dull red, but other than that he didn’t have a clue.

When she had finally straightened up and met his eyes again, he could tell this was something important. Marinette had that look on her face. Determined, but with a pinch of hesitation. 

“Chat, I… well, I wanted you to know that I… thank you, I wanted to thank you. For tonight, and for the fireworks and... for the…” She blushed as she trailed off. 

Beneath the suit and the supersuit, it was very, very warm. Although his face felt hot, too, and that had nothing to do with the extra layer. There was a small spark of hope catching fire within him. He’d thought he’d screwed up, but maybe he’d managed to do something right instead. 

“For the roses,” she finally finished. She met his eyes evenly, the blush still tingeing the tops of her cheeks. “For… all of the roses.” 

She extended her hands and uncovered what she’d been hiding. A pressed red rose. 

He reached towards it with a clawed fingertip, but he hesitated to pick it up. His brain whooshed to the one possible reason Marinette might have kept a rose like this, and why she would choose to show it to him tonight. The same night he gave a red rose to Ladybug a year ago. There was no way Marinette would know about that. Unless…

And then out of habit, to protect her identity from himself, his thoughts started zooming to every other reason—any other reason. It couldn’t possibly be the same rose. She was working on a project that involved drying flowers. She needed it for a scrapbook. Ladybug gave it to her for safekeeping. 

He looked up at her, his hand still hovering over hers, and every protective barrier he kept so carefully in place fell away. Marinette had said she wanted to thank him for _all_ the roses he’d given her. And he had given her this one as well. Because Marinette was Ladybug. 

He must’ve been staring, probably slack-jawed, because she broke eye contact and turned her face away from him. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t accept it before,” she murmured, removing all doubt from his mind. 

“And now?” he asked, barely above a whisper. 

“Now I’m… I’m not sure.” 

“Marinette?” 

She turned back to face him, and he was struck by her gorgeous, starry blue eyes. His question stuck in his throat. Did he even want the answer? Not really, no. But he still had to know. He forced the words past his numb tongue. 

“Who was the other boy?” 

She blinked at him. Her fist clenched by her side like it had the last time he’d asked her the same question. He wanted to pull her close to him, to close the distance, but the fragile rose was still between them. She sighed and closed her eyes. 

“It doesn’t matter.” 

“Why not?” 

“I never told him. And I don’t know…” She hesitated before she looked up at him through her eyelashes. “I don’t know if I need to now.” 

If his heart crept any farther up his throat, it would fall out of his mouth and keep beating at Marinette’s feet. He held his breath. This was all too good to be true. Any minute now, the spell, the illusion, the akuma, the nightmare, the dream, whatever this was, would shatter. He’d come to his senses and Plagg would be snickering at him for kissing his pillow again. 

When he started to feel lightheaded, he took an uneven breath in and swallowed thickly, trying to hold himself together. He finally let his hand fall to cover the rose in her hand, careful not to crush it. There was a pause between them as Marinette’s words settled. 

“Chat?” 

“Hmm?” 

“Are you okay?” 

He let his breath out slowly. “Milady, I am nowhere close to ‘okay.’” 

She blushed a deep crimson and went to pull away from him. He wrapped his other arm around her waist to pull her closer instead and leaned down to press his forehead against hers. “I am… ecstatic. I’m over the moon. I’m sailing through the Milky Way, headed for the Andromeda.” He let out a shaky laugh. He could almost hear Plagg telling him he was being cheesy, and not in the good way, but he didn’t really care. 

He felt the tension she’d been holding in her shoulders disappear as she relaxed into his embrace. “So dramatic, kitty.” 

“It’s the truth.” He shrugged and grinned. The air between them was charged with some sort of energy. She laid a hesitant hand on his chest, right over his galloping heartbeat.

“Do you… does that mean you want to know who I am, too?”

She bit her lip again, hesitating, thinking. “If you want to tell me,” she finally said. 

He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Adrien,” he whispered. “My name is Adrien.” 

She froze in his arms. He winced as she opened her eyes again and searched through his, still masked by Plagg’s magic. She pulled away the smallest amount, but it felt like she opened up a canyon between them. Her eyes scanned over his suit again and caught on the small butterfly sewn on the lapel of the jacket. 

He saw when the realization hit her full force. Her eyes widened and her lips parted in surprise. 

“You’re…?” 

“Yeah.” 

“But…” She looked down, at their hands closed over the pressed rose, at his arm still around her waist, before her eyes snapped back to his. “It’s you!” 

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably. “Yeah.” 

“No, I mean… it's you! It's always been you!"

She rushed forward to wrap her arms around his neck and bury her face in his shoulder. The rose fluttered to the ground, forgotten by her, and he was too stunned by her reaction to try to catch it.

* * *

Adrien. Adrien was Chat Noir. Everything clicked into place. The times Chat Noir hadn’t come to help was because Adrien wasn’t able to transform. The times Adrien had disappeared and Chat Noir had conveniently shown up. The other girl Adrien liked was Ladybug. The other boy Ladybug liked was Adrien. Her head spun with the revelation. 

His arms had tightened around her when she rushed at him and his heart was pounding under her ear. He must be wondering, waiting, hoping… She took a shuddering breath in against the fabric of his suit. An Agreste label. Why hadn't she connected the dots earlier? 

"It's always been you," she said with a sigh, digging her fingers into the fabric. 

"What do you mean?"

She pulled back to look at him. He was caught somewhere between bewildered and concerned. Now that she knew, she wasn’t as surprised that she hadn’t guessed it before. His hair as Chat seemed longer, darker, raked over his eyes instead of neatly parted to the side away from his face. Although if she took away the pale green sclera of Plagg’s magic, she knew his eyes really were that green under the mask, and just as bright. 

The nerves that always popped up around Adrien threatened to erupt as she mentally stripped away his mask. She took a deep breath and instead of answering him, she pushed up on her toes to press a kiss to his cheek, just under the edge of his mask.

He turned his head to look at her more directly, and she felt his grip tighten around her as their lips were once again mere inches away. 

“Oh,” he breathed, the single word full of understanding. His eyes searched through hers now, finding all the answers he needed. 

Before she could overthink it, she slid her hand behind his neck and pushed up on her toes again. He followed her effortlessly, leaning down to meet her halfway. 

When they kissed before, it had been desperate, hungry, feverish. This was nothing like that. This was tentative and delicate. She could pay attention now to the details she had missed before, like how incredibly soft his lips were as they moved against hers and the warmth of his breath. Her fingers tangling in his hair, and his heart racing against hers. 

When they broke apart, she kept her eyes closed, attempting to sear the moment into her memory. She smiled and touched her fingers to her lips, already missing the pressure against them.

"You're not gonna laugh at me again, are you?" he asked. She could hear his smirk in his voice. 

She shook her head and opened her eyes. He had his head tilted to the side, watching her with all the curiosity she knew from Chat and the fondness she knew from Adrien. 

“No, but I am gonna kiss you again.”

He barely had time to laugh before she was pulling him down again into the third of what she hoped would be many kisses to come.


End file.
